Almost Daily Vomiting

**carrot** · 11-02-2011, 11:50 AM

I would like help putting together the pieces of why Chief vomits almost daily.

It first started around a month ago. Chief didn't have a new brand of food introduced but we did dump his new bag of food into a plastic airtight bin which was rinsed with hot water before the food was put in. Around a week after the new batch of food in the bin was introduced he started vomiting daily. We took him to the Vet and the Vet put him on a diet of chicken and rice diet for a couple days, gradually reintroducing his canned food, then said we could start introducing the usual dry food again as well. Upon introduction of the dry food, the vomiting happened again. He has been fine with his canned food this whole time.

We contacted the food company and they tested the batch and said that the tests have come back fine and that there were no other complaints about that batch of food. They sent us a new bag of food, free of charge, and he's been on that again for a week now and up until Halloween afternoon he had no vomiting. The amount that afternoon was around 1/4 a cup of the partway digested food. This time we've kept the food in it's original bag and it is not touching the plastic bin.

Chief vomited a larger amount early this morning (still dark out) which was around a cup's worth perhaps.

I don't understand why he's been eating this same food for several years now and problems are all of a sudden coming up. I don't think the food has changed ingredients and with no other food customers complaining, things seem off some how.

Can food sensitivities just come up as dogs get older? He does fine with the bland chicken and rice diet and even keeps it down with the canned food mixed in. We don't feed our pets junk food. The best we can afford has always been our policy. I can provide links to all the foods he eats upon request. We give him his meals in the morning and evening. It is one and a half cups of dry food with a big spoonful of wet for extra flavor, cover it with lots of water and let it soak for a few minutes. His bowl is on the floor.

There isn't an obstruction because we had x-rays done and they came back all clear. Everything else about him is fine- his play level, output of pee + poop, sleep time... If anyone has some insight to what could be going on, we'd really appreciate it. We will be in contact with our Vet soon and probably the food company if the vomiting continues.

**BigBrownDog** · 11-02-2011, 12:14 PM

Did the vet suggest anything like Pepcid to give with meals? My diabetic dog does this from time to time and I just start back in with the Pepcid and the vomitting does stop.

If he was constantly vomitting (like every meal, not keeping anything down) I would suspect either a blockage (which you have ruled out) or something medical (virus or an infection). If it's intermittent, maybe it's like a human's acid stomach or reflux?

**carrot** · 11-02-2011, 12:48 PM

No, Vet did not suggest Pepcid or anything. He suggested trying a hypo-allergenic diet as the next course of action.
When the vomiting occurs it is once a day.
My DH is wondering if Chief is reacting to the Rimadyl, so today we're not giving it.
I seriously think it is something about the dry food though. The Rimadyl was still being given when he was on the canned food and chicken + rice regime and there was no vomiting.
I'm wondering if maybe there's something about having his bowl lowered which is causing problems. I found a bucket in the garage to raise the bowl up and am curious to see what happens with that.

**BigBrownDog** · 11-02-2011, 01:04 PM

Have his liver levels been checked recently?

**carrot** · 11-02-2011, 01:10 PM

Not since he's come to live with us. I can check his records to see if he's ever had extensive blood work done.

**BigBrownDog** · 11-02-2011, 01:25 PM

If he's been on Rimadyl for a while I would definitely get bloodwork done.

**Sophiesmama** · 11-02-2011, 03:57 PM

The food sensitivity can start as they get older. If he doesn't throw up on the canned, and does on the kibble, it sure sounds like its the kibble doesn't it. What kind of food is he on? If you think about dogs in relation to people, as we age our digestion changes. Often times we can't eat the same things as we did when we were young with the same results. Dogs are like that too. I hope you figure it out, but if it were me, I wouldn't give him the dry again.

**labby** · 11-02-2011, 04:33 PM

What time is the vomiting? Is it food that's being vomited or bile? What food is it?

When my dogs were fed Nutro, they vomited yellow bile in the middle of the night. When I switched foods, it went away.

**georgie** · 11-02-2011, 06:17 PM

I was wondering what time the vomiting occured. With our lab Molly (has since passed) she would vomit yellow bile around 4:30-5:30 in the morning. Our vet suggested we split her food into three feedings and give her last meal around bedtime. She had empty stomach syndrome. She couldn't go that long between feedings. We did that & the vomiting stopped. Hope you figure out what is causing your dogs problem.

**BigBrownDog** · 11-02-2011, 06:17 PM

Originally Posted by labby

What time is the vomiting? Is it food that's being vomited or bile? What food is it?

When my dogs were fed Nutro, they vomited yellow bile in the middle of the night. When I switched foods, it went away.

From her message above, Laura, the dog is puking at various times and it's partially digested food, not bile.

I had the same problem with Nutro too with Lucy.